woof/woofself

Runtime: 3:28

A manosphere podcast bro falls for his cute male coworker, inciting a dramatic transformation of his attitude.

Director - Bryce Whitt

Bryce Whitt grew up in Peterstown, West Virginia. He began making art in high school, a passion that would direct him to the animation lab at Dartmouth College. Under the instruction of professor Jodie Mack, he has created multiple animated films. His recent film—woof/woofself—explores the bizarre scrutiny of pronouns in conservative media.

Directors Statment

When I lost my home in 2022 due to major flooding, the only thing I could think of was rebuilding, and the only other thing I could think of was damage. What did I lose in the water? How could I replace it? How much did it cost?

For the archive, I think a similar mindset is there. How do we reclaim what we lost? How much will it cost to return it? Except, for most of these valuable pieces of Appalachian history, they cannot be replaced—they are delicate memories that cannot be brought back.

My own flood story is tied into Appalshop’s, because Appalshop is also my home. What grief I felt then is felt tenfold in the archive, where a large percentage of our history has been lost forever.

I wanted to highlight the work that the archive staff do on a daily basis, which is a constant and evolving process of preserving, cleaning, maintaining, moving, storing, shipping, moving again, and so on. The archive staff dedicate their lives to preserving what is essentially our culture. Their efforts should never go unnoticed.